<p>Women play a key role in business and entrepreneurship because they have the ability to make economic and social contributions. However, they encounter several challenges when advancing to leadership positions and engaging in business activities, particularly from a social perspective. Therefore, it is imperative to examine the underlying dynamics hindering such progressions into leadership. Drawing on the social role theory, this study examines the relationship between women’s leadership emergence, organisational identity, gender self-efficacy beliefs, and gender stereotypes. Using a quantitative approach, the study explores the main factors that drive women employees in the software development sector towards leadership roles. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is employed to analyse both direct and indirect effects within the proposed model. The findings indicate that an agentic role orientation positively contributes to women’s leadership emergence, whereas gender stereotypes significantly impede such progression. Moreover, gender self-efficacy beliefs mediate the relationship between gender stereotypes and leadership emergence, suggesting that internalising gender stereotypes diminishes women’s confidence in their leadership abilities, thereby reducing their likelihood of assuming leadership roles. Additionally, organisational identification moderates the link between gender self-efficacy beliefs and leadership emergence, emphasizing the pivotal role of organisational identity in shaping women’s leadership trajectories. These results underscore the necessity of challenging gender stereotypes and cultivating supportive organisational environments to enhance women’s self-efficacy and leadership opportunities in the software development industry. The study provides practical recommendations for organisations committed to fostering gender-inclusive leadership and lays a foundation for future research on women’s leadership in culturally conservative contexts.</p>